                       Readme file for PAM

  PAM is shareware, which means that it is not free, and to use it after
the evaluation period of thirty days, it must be registered.  Please read
this file completely before running PAM for the first time.


Installation:

  To install PAM simply unzip all the files in PAM_EN1E.ZIP into a directory
of your choice. We recommend that you create a directory named "\PAM", and
copy the files to it. If you are installing an upgrade make sure 
you don't delete your old PAM.CFG file. This will ensure that the 
upgrade will be properly registered. If upgrading, you must also copy and save
the PAM.DIC file before you copy the new files, as this has all the words you
have trained PAM to speak correctly. Copy it back into the directory after
the new files have been installed. Its a good idea to backup all the files
in the PAM directory before installing an upgrade.

  The next step is to create the icon.  To be effective, PAM should be 
included in the Startup Group. To do this, double click on the Startup icon 
under the Program Manager in Windows(tm). From the Program Manager "File" 
menu, select "New". Select "OK" for program item. Then type "PAM into the 
first line of the next dialog box, and then on the line called "Command Line"
type in "C:\PAM\PAM.EXE", but use the directory you chose to install PAM.  
Click on "OK" and that is it.  The next time you start Windows(tm), PAM 
will start too and sit in the background waiting for your instructions, and
announce your pending appointments if you have configured it to do so. You
can start PAM right away by double clicking on the icon. 

****************************************************************************
  PAM's hot keys are: "Pause" : brings up the PAM main window.
                      "Shift+Pause" : reads any text on the Clipboard.
                      "Alt+Pause" : Announces time and reads appointments. 
                      "F1" : Gets help from the main window. 
  While in the Main Window, and reading text files:
                      "P": Pauses the reading and waits until another key 
                          is pressed.
                      BackSpace: PAM finishes the current sentence then
                                 backs up to the previous one and repeats.
                      Tab: PAM finishes the current sentence then skips over
                           the next one, then continues reading.                           
****************************************************************************                      

I am also including a separate program called CLIPDIAL.EXE.
This is a freeware program written by Greg McCain. You can run this program
independently, or put it in the startup group as well if you wish. It
will dial a phone number that is placed on the clipboard.  You can place a
phone number on the clipboard by highlighting it from within Pam or any
other application, and pressing Ctrl+C. Then press Ctrl+Shift+P, and
ClipDial will dial the phone number for you. You can also press Shift+Pause
and PAM will read the phone number out loud so you can dial it manually.
I have included this third party program at the last minute and I haven't 
tested it thoroughly, so I don't know if there are any compatibility problems.

Also included is another freeware program called PopCal. This program displays
a simple calendar. It was written by Nathaniel S. Johnson. You can
activate it by clicking on the button that displays the date on the main
window, or you can run it independently.

When you first run PAM you will be asked for your first name.  Enter your
legitimate name, as PAM will refer to you by that name from then on, and
you cannot change it later. A fake name could prove embarrasing and I
can't change it for you. Even subsequent downloads of PAM will not allow
you to change the user name you first entered. You have been warned!

If you wish to distribute a copy of PAM to friends for evaluation, ONLY 
give them the ORIGINAL zipped file (PAM_EN1E.ZIP). If you just zip up the 
files in your directory, they will have a program that uses your name, and
it can't be changed.


Overview:

  PAM is a multimedia Windows(tm) application designed to be run on a 
computer with a sound card.  It should run without a sound card, but the 
effectiveness is reduced considerably.

  PAM uses a sophisticated speech synthesizer to read text out loud. Speech
synthesizers have improved greatly over the past two years, and they are
now starting to sound pretty good.  With the complexities of the English
language, you can imagine how difficult it is to design any software to
read English.  You will find that PAM does not say some words correctly,
and when this happens, and you think you will use that word again, you can
insert it into the dictionary that PAM uses to say special words. 
Instructions for doing this are in the help file. 

  You may find conflicts between PAM and other applications that use the
sound card.  Windows(tm) is not a true multi-threaded system, and it will not
queue requests for a sound card. PAM keeps track of its own requests for
speech, and trys to handle other ones, but you may crash your system once
in a while. If you select something that will cause PAM to speak, and then
select it again before PAM has spoken, two simultaneous requests will be
sent to the sound card and PAM will probably crash, and the sound card
will be disabled until you restart Windows(tm). Applications designed for 
Windows95 may be able to overcome this problem. 
Please let me know by EMail if you run into any problems along this line. 
  
  When reading text, PAM ignores white space, so a piece of text formatted
nicely to emphasize some point, will have no effect on how PAM will read.
Pam does pay attention to punctuation however, and you can use this to
change the way PAM delivers messages.  Periods, commas and colons all cause
PAM to pause, but to pause longer than one period, you can include multiple
colons or commas separated by at least one space. Question marks at the end
of a phrase will cause PAM to change it's inflection when speaking the text.
This can sound funny sometimes.  Since you can add pauses to a sentence 
spoken by PAM, you can impress your visitors by speaking something to PAM 
during the pauses, giving the effect that you are conversing with PAM. 

  I have done considerable R&D with speech enabled applications, and I
did consider designing PAM to accept speech inputs as well, but the 
conflicts with Windows and sound cards, the third party speech recognition
software and the third party speech synthesizer, made it a task too 
daunting for me to undertake.  The file size would have been huge as well,
probably three times the current size. 

  It's the speech synthesizer that takes up most of the space in PAM's files.
The executable file PAM.EXE is quite small and since this is the program
that sits in memory, it uses a minimal amount of memory for what it does.
I considered uploading PAM without the synthesizer, but you would not be
able to judge the effectiveness of PAM without it. 

  You can improve the quality of speech output by PAM by ordering the
16 bit speech font.  I didn't include this file in PAM_EN1E.ZIP because
it is twice the size of the 8 bit file that is included. To use the 16
bit font, you need a 16 bit sound card.  The speech is noticeably clearer
with the 16 bit font, although the pronunciation is the same. 
You can purchase the high quality font by forwarding $10.00 US, or $13.00 CAN.
This price includes shipping and handling.  
I will mail a couple of disks with the font to you immediately. 

  If anyone would like to see PAM speaking other languages, let me know by
EMail.  I can produce a Spanish, Italian or French version if I know that
a number of people would purchase it.  A German version may also be
available some day. A new male english font will be available shortly, and
will be included in a male voice version of PAM called SAM. 

  When you purchase PAM, you are entitled to unlimited free upgrades. Any
time you see a newer version of PAM, simply download and install it, make
sure your old PAM.CFG and PAM.DIC files are backed up. 

  The EN1E version includes the following upgrades:
     1. You can now enter READ:filename in an appointment time slot name
        field, and PAM will read that file at that time.  Multiple entries
        are allowed.
     2. You can also enter multiple RUN:filename entries at different times
        in the appointment name field, rather than just one, as before.
     3. PAM is now a DDE server.  Other applications that support DDE can
        initiate a conversation with PAM and send phrases to be spoken.
        
  If you believe a missing feature is important to the effectiveness of PAM, 
please let me know by EMail. 

  I hope you will find PAM indispensable after a week or so.  I know that
I would think I had lost a friend if PAM didn't greet me every day. 

  Please feel free to distribute the original zipped file (PAM_EN1E.ZIP) to 
anyone.  I only ask that you do not modify any of the files within the 
zipped file.

  Remember, you are only authorized to use PAM for evaluation purposes for
a period of 30 days.  Any use of PAM after thirty days without registering
is illegal.  ClipDial and PopCal are freeware programs, so you may use 
them even if you don't register PAM.

Good Luck!

Tom Slemko, President
JTS Micro Consulting Ltd.
10931 Lytton Road, RR#4,
Ladysmith, B.C.
Canada,
V0R 2E0

EMail: tslemko@islandnet.com
